Kashmir, or Kasperia as mentioned in Ptolemy’s Geography, is an oval valley enclosed on all sides by high snow-capped mountains. At one time this was covered by a vast lake known as Satisar. Kashmir finds mention in several Puranas from ancient times as a land of great beauty and of learning.. having produced famed sages like Utpaladeva, Patanjali, Panini and others, Kashmir has the unique distinction of having written geographical and historical records available, in contrast to the other regions of India. The 6 century Nilamata Purana lists specific religious sites with corroborating topographical information, and the magnum opus Rajatarangini composed by Kalhana in the 12 century CE provides the “river of kings (Parthivavali)” from around 3450 BCE.